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1. b4
The most logical move, opening a diagonal for the bishop and eyeing the weak g7 square. |
2. b5 e5
One of the critical continuations, opening lines for both bishops. 2. b5 implies black will attempt a counterattack. Perhaps the most solid strategy is to defer this until later and play pure defense, since white seems to have an upper hand in the 2. b5 (move) lines. |
3. e4 f4 f5
The critical continuation. White's space on the kingside threatens to choke black. Mates with f6-fg-gf(h)Q are in the air. |
4. g5 g4 Kg7 h6
Black neglects development. This series gets the king off the back rank, but it is not truly safe there. A better try would be 4. Bh4 Bxe1 f6 Kf7, picking up a little material while keeping the king safe from mate. |
5. Nc3 Nd5 Rf4 Kf2 Rxg4+ !
A difficult series to find, but by far the strongest. Black does not seem to be able to survive past white's seven. This series appears to force mate on white's next series. This is somewhat counterintuitive, moving the knight twice to a square where it can be easily taken. But the principle behind the move is one of overloading, in which so many white pieces swarm forward, and so many other powerful ones (queen, bishops) remain back, that black cannot defend himself against all the threats. Other sets of 2 moves with Rf4/Kf2/Rxg4+ are not as good. |
6. Kh7 Qa6 Qa3 Qxc1 Qxd1 Qxg4
Tantamount to suicide, since the king can never be safe on h7. Everything appears to get mated, though. 6. Kh7 Rhg8 Rxg4 Kg7 Bxd5 Rxg2+ gets mated by 7. Kxg2 Nf3 Ng5 Nxf7 Qa3! Qa6! Qg6++. Lines that leave the d5-knight and queen on get mated with Ne7 and Qh6. There are too many mating patterns to stop. Had white played instead 5.d4 dxe5 Rf4 Kf2 Rxg4+, black would have Bg5 h5 hxg4 Bxc1, surviving. Had he tried 5. c4 Nc3 Rf4 Kf2 Rxg4+ or 5. c4 c5, black would have ideas with Qa6-a3xc1 and perhaps surviving. The knight on d5 prevents the queen rampages, however, i.e. 6. Bg5 Qa6 Qa3 Qxc1 Qxd1 Qxg4 7. Nf6 h3 hxg4 Nd3 Nf4 N4h5++. |
7. Ne7 Bxe5 h3 hxg4 Nf3 Ng5++
The prettiest mate, in which the most pieces participate. |